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Removing Car Window Tinting

Jessica writes in about her car's tinted windows. She wants it removed but professionals are asking too much to do the job. Can you help?

I'm in need of an economical and easy way to
remove car window tinting. I have a tint job that is at least 10 years
old and is bubbling and peeling away leaving a tint residue that is
really unsafe for driving.
I called local a tint business and they want to charge way too much to
remove the tinting to my car windows for something I'm sure I could do
with time and the right tools. What type of solvent could be easily used
to remove the tinting? I know that I would have to extremely careful
around the rear defrosters but what advise could someone give me to
tackle this job?Thank you
Jessica W.

Re: Removing Car Window Tinting

Get a good clothing steamer with a large tank (kind of looks like a mini Shop Vac). That will run you $20-30ish. On a hot, sunny day, fill it up and start warming up the glue stuff on the tint paper. GENTLY start pulling tint SLOWLY. Remove residue from glass before it sets up again.

Re: Removing Car Window Tinting

I've never tried to remove this myself, but I'd reach for the Goo-Gone first. I haven't seen any sticky label it can't remove with a lot of patience. Don't look for a miracle. Just soak an edge with a qtip and peel it slowly, then soak/peel, etc. I'm sure that's why the tinting place want's so much. Can you imagine the amount of labor you'd be paying for?

Re: Removing Car Window Tinting

Honestly. It's not worth removing tint yourself if you don't have experience. Yes, a lot of shops will charge $100 to remove a full sedan. BUT, if you find a freelancer, often times they can do it for less than half that. I've done jobs for a large car window tinting company, so I think Im qualified to speak on the matter. to find a freelancer, go on a classifieds site. Im telling you, you can mess a lot of things up by trying to save a few dollars. Not only will you end up spending more than you would have originally, but youll spend a TON in the currency known as headache. Trust me!!

Re: Removing Car Window Tinting

I got in trouble with the police for having front/passanger and driver tinted windows that my car CAME with. I got pulled over and was given a citation for it. It was deemed fixable and I flipped out and had to go get the tint removed ASAP. My Mom knew a guy who could just scrap it off like anyone could. He did it for me and it did not damage the windows. He scraped it off with something like a paint scraper and used a product like Goo-Gone. It took maybe 2 hours with him and another guy helping. They cleanred it up nice too. No damage. If she has a guy friend or handy lady friend who feels confident in doing a job like that then I suggest she contact them and offer to pay them a set price for the one time job/gig. I think about half the amount the pros charge is a fair price. Someone who can GO SLOW and be PATIENT in the process will most likely not damage the windows. A race horse can go race another track because too much aggressive action would cause damage. Goodluck.

Ps if no friend or referral is available then post an ad on Craigslist under the GIGS section. Responses will stack up.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." ~Chinese Proverb~

Feel
free to read the great frugal living tips, ideas and discussions
readers and community members have posted here. But if you'd like to
post something or start a discussion, please click here to go over to our new community site and create an account.

Feel
free to read the great frugal living tips, ideas and discussions
readers and community members have posted here. But if you'd like to
post something or start a discussion, please click here to go over to our new community site and create an account.

Dollar Stretcher, Inc. does not assume responsibility for advice given. All advice should be weighed against your own abilities and circumstances and applied accordingly. It is up to the reader to determine if advice is safe and suitable for his or her own situation.